Portable illuminating device



Sept. 23 1924.

1,509,354 c HAMBUEcHEN PORTABLE ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed Dec. 5, 1920Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL HAMBUECHEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL. CARBON COM-PANY, INC., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

PORTABLE ILLUMINATING DEVICE.

Application led December 3, 1920. Serial No. 428,080.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CARL HAMBUECHEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Yorkin the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful improvements in PortableIlluminating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to illuminating devices energized byself-contained batteries and commonly known as flashlights. Batteriesemployed in such devices are almost always dry batteries of thewell-known form in which the carbon electrode is axially disposed in acylindrical zinc cup forming the anode of the cell. Two or more cellsconstituting a battery are ordinarily, required to operate theincandescent bulb furnishing the light, and these cells are usuallymounted end to end in the casing of the flashlight, the terminals of thebattery so formed being the zinc cup of the bottom cell and the carbonelectrode of the top cell. The Zinc electrodes are ordinarily connectedby a more or less extended electrical circuit with one terminal of thelamp bulb, while the carbon electrode of the battery, being in closerproximity to the lamp bulb, can be connected with its opposite ter minalthrough a shorter path.

In another common form of flashlight the individual cells, instead ofbeing arranged end to end, are placed side by side and are connected inseries, the terminals of the battery being brought out in metallicstrips at the upper end. In flashlights of this form, as nowconstructed, one of the metal conductor strips is so disposed that whenplaced in the appropriate flashlight casing, itis adapted to makecontact with the terminal which is in the center of one of the ends of'the casing.

With either of the forms of flashlight casing described above, theincandescent bulb is mounted directly in the center of its reflector inorder that one terminal of the bulb may readily make contact with thecentral ter* minal of the battery contained within the flashlightcasing. When so mounted, that portion ofl the reflector which should bemosteffective in projecting light rays forward for the illumination ofobjects in front of' the flash light is occupied by the mounting for theincandescent bulb and the most effective portion of the reflector thustion is to provide a construction whereby batterie-s and flashlightcasings of the usual f orm may be modied but without the necessity of acentral orifice or socket in the refiector for the reception of theincandescent bulb, the bulb being so mounted that this highly effectiveportion of the reflector located at its vertex shall be entirelyunobstructed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a flashlight of suchconstruction that the light rays projected forward by the reflectorshall be in the form of a flattened beam instead of the generallycircular beam given by flashlights of known construction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel form ofv mountingfor the incandescent bulb, which not only has inherent advantages butpermits of the use of a special form of incandescent bulb which is insome respects superior to the bulb having a screw-threaded plug which isnow universally employed in flashlights. An important advantage is thatno portion of the bulb is subject to shocks or impacts from the battery.Other objects of the invention will appear from the description.

The objects of the invention are attained by the use of constructionswhich are exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l isa view, generally in section, of a flashlight embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar View of a modified construction and Fig. 8 is a planview of the cup-shaped member of Fig. 2.

The flashlight shown in Fig. l includes a casing 5 of ellipticalcross-section such as is generally employed in the flat-type flashlight.This casing contains a battery 6, likewise of well-known constructionand having as its terminals the conductor strips and 8. The reflector 9is formed by stamping the metal of the end of the casing 6 into the formof a trough, which should preferably be approximately flat at its bottomportion and which may have a longitudinal section of the shapeindicated. The longitudinal section may also be a very flat parabola ifdesired.

The incandescent bulb is shown as having a substantially rectilinearfilament 11, the ends of which are connected to leads which are broughtout at opposite sides of the bulb on small flattened metal lugs adaptedto make contact with the members 12 and 13 which receive` and hold thebulb. The construction of the members 12 and 13 will be more fullydescribed in connection with Fig. 2, wherein these parts are shown incross-section- A switch mechanism comprises a hooked resilient memberlet insulated from the metal casing 5 and designed to receive t-heconductor strip 8 and move it against or away from the bulb-holder 12,the member 14 being actuated by a push button 14. This switch mechanismforms no part of my invention and anysuitable switch mechanism may besubstituted therefor.

Fig. 2 shows a flashlight of the .common cylindrical shape having arefiector which is approximately a paraboloid of revolution. Thisflashlight comprises the casing 5,*cylindrical battery 6 having theterminal 7, and reflector 9 arranged to project the light rays emanatedby the incandescent filament 11 in the bulb 10. The bulb is of similarconstruction to that shown in Fig. 1 except that it has a filamentcurved on a very short radius, so that the entire filament consti-tuteswhat is practically a point source of light.

'The bulb 10 is mountedk between the bulb holders -12 and 13 as inFig. 1. The reflector '9 is4 supported by head 15 which is screwed on tothe end of the casing, the refiector and a plane glass 16 being held inthe head by a screw-threaded ring 17 in well-known manner.

The bulb-holder 12 comprises an outer metal sleeve soldered or otherwisesuitably attached to the reflector 9, through which it extends, and ametallic conductor 18 passingthrough this sleeve with an insulating tube19 interposed between the conductor 18 and lits surrounding Sleeve. Theconductor 18 carries a socket 2O at its inner end lto receive oneterminal of the incandescent bulb and the various parts of the holderare rigedly fastened together as by crimping or ruling. The bulb holder13 has an outer sleeve similar to the holder 12, and' liliewi'se has acentral rod .21 bearing a socket on its inner end.

Between the rod 21 and its outer sleeve is a' spiral spring 22 abuttingat its cuter end-against the stop 23y attached to the outer 'sleeve andat its inner end against the spring :follower 24 which is attached torod 21 and slides within the outer sleeve. Soldercd or otherwiseattached to the bottom of the re flector 9 at its vertex, is thescrew-tlireaded stud 25, this stud being so attached to the reflectorthat the reflector-s surface is not interrupted or obstructed. Attachedto the stud 25 is a cupped disc 2G, the member 26 being insulated fromthe stud 25 b v a disc of fiber or the like 27, to which the disc 26 isattached by suitable rivets.

A projecting arm 28 on member 26 is soldered or otherwise attached tothe ronductor 18 forming one of the bulb-hohlers. The zinc electrode ofthe battery is the zinc cup of the bottom cell and this cup is ronnectedthrough a suitable switch mechanism, not shown, with a conductor strip2i). tlul upper end of which lies in a notch cut into the upper edge ofthe casing V, so that the end of strip 29 may hold and still maintain agood contact with the member 26 when the latter is brought down so thatit rests upon the upper end of the casing 5.

The operation of both modification illustrated will be clear from theforegoing. llVhen a bulb is removed or replaced, the sliding rod of theholder 13 is moved against the tension of its spring until the oppositeend of the bulb is free from the socket of the holder 12. In bothmodifications of the invention the path of the current. is from terminal7 of the battery through the reflector and bulb-holder 13 to thefilament through the central conductor of the bulb-holder 12 and throughthe switch mechanism back to the battery. In Fig. 2 the projecting arm2S of the member 26 forms a part of the circuit, the conductor strip 29making contact with the member 26 in any angular position of the latter.

It will be understood that my invention is subject to numerousmodifications which are within the skill of those familiar with the artto which my invention appertains. Accordingly, I desire my invention tobe limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable illuminating device comprising a casing, a battery havinga central terminal contained therein, a reflector of substantiallyparabolic section at one end of said casing, said reflector having anuninterrupted surface at the vertex of its parabolic section, anincandescent filament mounted at or near the focus of the reflector, andmeans for establishing elecrical connection between said centralterminal and filament through the vertex of the reflector.

2. A portable illuminating device comprising a casing, a batterycontained therein, a reflector of substantially parabolic section at oneend of said casing and coaxial therewith, said reflector having enuninterrupted surface at the vertex of its parabolic section, a lampbulb containing an incandescent filament mounted at or near the focus ofthe reflector, rigid means extending inwardly from the walls of thereflector for engaging said bulb, and means for releasably supportingthe bulb in contact with said rigid means.

3. A portable illuminating device comprising a easing, a concaverefiector within one end of said casing, a battery in said casing andwhen being inserted in the casing or subjected to shock therein movingtoward the vertex of the reflector to deliver a blow thereon, a lampbulb, and supporting means therefor carried by the wall of saidreflector at a point above the vertex, whereby damage to the bulb byimpact of the battery is avoided.

4l. A portable illuminating device Comprising a casing, a reflector atone end of said casing, said reflector having an uninterrupted surfaceat its vertex, a battery in said casing and when being inserted in thecasing or subjected to shock therein moving toward the vertex of thereflector to deliver a blow therein, a lamp bulb contain.- ing anincandescent lament mounted at or near the focus of the reflector, rigidmeans extending inwardly from the walls of the reflector for holdingsaid bulb beyond the region of impact from the battery, and means forreleasably supporting the bulb in contact with said rigid means.

5. A portable illuminating device comprising a tubular casing, a batterytherein, a concave reflector at one end of and coaxial with said casingand having an uninterrupted surface at its vertex in circuit-form ingcontact with an electrode of said battery, and an incandescent filamentin circuit with said battery and mounted at or near the focus of thereflector transversely of the axis thereof.

v6. A portable illuminating device comprising a casing, a batterytherein, a concave reflector at one end of said casing and having anuninterrupted surface at its vertex in circuit-forming contact with anelectrode of said battery, and a rectilinear lilament in circuit withsaid battery and mounted transversely of the axis of the reiiector.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

CARL HAMBUECHEN.

